In the building construction trade, a head-of-wall joint (also sometimes referred to as a top-of-wall joint) refers to the linear junction or interface existing between a top section of a framed wall assembly and the ceiling (where the ceiling is often times a concrete filled fluted steel roof deck (also sometime referred to as a corrugated roof pan deck)). In common practice, a typical wall to ceiling connection of a newly constructed buildings consists essentially of an inverted U-shaped elongated steel channel (or track) configured to receive steel studs between the legs (also sometimes referred to as sidewalls or flanges) of the shaped channel. A wallboard is generally attached to at least one side of the studs. The studs and wallboard are in many instances spaced apart from the ceiling a short gap distance in order to allow for ceiling deflections caused by seismic activity or moving overhead loads.
During the construction of a building, situations often arise where a wall assembly (or partition) is to be constructed directly beneath a recessed portion of a concrete filled fluted roof deck. In order to provide a flat and sufficiently rigid surface (backing support) necessary for subsequent installation of a head-of-wall track (wherein the head-of-wall track is part of a steel stud wall assembly), current methods of building construction call for the attachment of either a plurality of individual metal straps or a long continuously flat piece of sheet metal over the recessed portion (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,788 to Herron for a good example of the use of a flat piece of sheet metal to cover a recessed portion of a concrete filled fluted roof deck). These prior art methods can generally provide a sufficiently rigid backing support member but for the construction of a fire rated partition the fluted space or recessed portion above the wall generally must also be filled or “stuffed” with a mineral wool type of insulation and then sometimes coated with fire resistive spray (to thereby prevent a fire from traveling over the partition and through the recessed fluted area and into the next room). FIG. 1 (prior art) shows such a configuration (namely, FIG. 1 shows a side cross-sectional view of a fire rated joint 2 between an upper end section of a sheet metal stud wall assembly 20 and a bottom surface 6 of a flat strap or continuous cover sheet 8 installed by fasteners 9 to cover and make flat an insulation 11 stuffed bottom recessed portion 24 of a concrete 26 filled fluted roof deck 14 in accordance with the prior art). The use of multiple straps or continuous flat sheets does not, however, sufficiently protect against the spread of a fire and/or smoke or seal against a hose stream (as is now required by modern municipal fire codes).
Accordingly, there is still a need in the art for new and improved building construction elements and related structural ceiling and wall assemblies that enable and facilitate the installation of head-of-walls track to fluted roof deck ceilings. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides for further related advantages.